Orwell’s social proposal in The Lion and the Unicorn, published in 1941, intended to give solutions to a nation suffering the dramatic effects of the Second World War. Orwell tried, through his socialist programme, to free Britain from the private capitalism and the coercive power of the totalitarian regimes that were menacing all Europe. The solution lied on Socialism. This paper’s main purpose is to present Orwell’s socialism as a new and refreshing proposal in a specific time that was asking for urgent political, social and economic change. A strong believer in the values of solidarity, equality, decency and justice, Orwell stood up for the ideals of a democratic system which contained, on the one hand, optimism and hope for the future, but, on the other, showed some incoherence that made Orwell’s socialist programme fallible. A proposta social delineada por Orwell em 1941 com os objectivos de sarar
muitas das feridas provocadas pela Segunda Guerra Mundial, eliminar os vícios que se
arreigaram na sociedade e política britânicas durante séculos e, principalmente,
encontrar soluções para resolver a situação problemática que a Grã-Bretanha vivia a
todos os níveis, constituíu o principal conteúdo das partes II e III de The Lion and the
Unicorn. Orwell escreveu essas duas partes, “Shopkeepers at War” e “The English
Revolution” num contexto bastante peculiar.